Coal news and updates

Coal continues to disappear from thermal power plants of the state at an unfailing regularity every month. In October, a substantial volume of coal, over 9,000 metric tonnes (MT) vanished from four thermal power plants of the state without a trace.

 

Fresh coal stock disappearance comes a month after TOI exposed how 23,000 MT of coal went missing from Amarkantak and Sanjay Gandhi thermal plants between June and August and another 5,000 metric tonnes of black gold from two plants in September.

 

Documents with TOI show on October 31, cumulative closing stock of coal for all four thermal power plants of the state stood at 2,23,505.50 MT and cumulative opening stock on November 1 was at 21,4025 MT, leaving a gap of 9,480 MT. In terms of per cent, 9,480 MT comes to 4% of closing stock on October 31.

 

Repeated efforts to contact Madhya Pradesh Power Generation Company officials on the issue proved futile.

 

On September 30, closing coal stock was 93,758.18 MT and 60,416.74 MT at Amarkantak and Sanjay Gandhi plants, respectively. But opening stock on October 1 shows only 91,554 MT and 57,750 MT of coal stock at Amarkantak and Sanjay Gandhi thermal plants.

 

A big gap in closing stock on September 30 and opening stock on October 1 comes out to 2204.18 MT and 2666.74 MT, respectively. Thus, cumulatively around 4870 MT coal has again gone missing.

 

The discrepancy in closing and opening stocks of coal in thermal power plants of the state in past five months raises many questions.

 

Source: ToI